The Afghan Taliban government's new decree concerning the separation of spouses has drawn criticism from the United Nations, which stated on Thursday that the measure "reinforces systemic discrimination" and diminishes the rights of Afghan women and girls. The 31-article code, published in mid-May in the country's *Official Gazette*, outlines various grounds for separation within Afghanistan. These include a husband's prolonged disappearance, "incompatibility" between partners, renunciation of Islam, and "failure on the part of the husband."